The Lich King
The Lich King was an entity created by Kil'jaeden the Deceiver from the spirit of the orcish shaman Ner'zhul. Initially trapped within the Frozen Throne, the Lich King eventually merged with the human Arthas Menethil. He is responsible for the creation of the Scourge and rules over the Scourge telepathically from his throne atop the Icecrown Glacier. The Lich King will be the main antagonist in the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King. Biography Birth of the Lich King When Ner'zhul left the dying world of Draenor, he was immediately captured by Kil'jaeden. The demon was eager to take revenge on the orc, who had turned back on the Blood Pact he had sworn years earlier. Ner'zhul's spirit was kept alive while his body was slowly torn apart. Entirely at Kil'jaeden's mercy, Ner'zhul agreed to serve the demon once more; exactly as the Deceiver had planned. Ner'zhul's spirit was encased in the Frozen Throne, a mystical block of crystal. Encased in the ice he felt his consciousness expand ten thousand fold, while being warped by Kil'jaeden's power. The orc that had been Ner'zhul ceased to exist, and the Lich King, a being of unfathomable power, was created. thumb|The Lich King, inside the Frozen Throne. Formation of the Scourge The Lich King was sent to Azeroth, landing in Northrend where the ice that encased him shaped into the shape of a throne, where he would begin the formation of the undead Scourge and in the process weaken the world in preparation for the Burning Legion. This new army would not fall victim to the petty infighting that had caused the orcs to fail in conquering Azeroth. Sent to watch over him were the Dreadlords, led by Tichondrius. In the Frozen Throne the Lich King experimented with his psychic powers and enslaved the local indigenous life forms. The plague of undeath that came from the Frozen Throne transformed each of them into his undead servants. Thus using his psychic and necromantic powers he was able to conquer much of Northrend. As he devoured more and more souls he only grew in power as the individual undead under his control gave him "much needed nourishment". Thus his powers began growing at an exponential rate; a fact that the dreadlords were well aware of. The Lich King entered a war with the kingdom of Azjol-Nerub, whose ancient inhabitants were immune to his plague of undeath. The 10-year conflict known as the War of the Spider ultimately ended with the Lich King's first major triumph (while the Nerubians were immune to the plague, their corpses could still be reanimated). The Lich King was impressed by his enemy, however, and adopted Nerubian architecture for his own, as a testament to the Spider Lords' tenacity and age. Having by now established control over most of Northrend, the Dreadlords urged Ner'zhul to proceed with the agreed-upon plan to prepare the world for the invasion of the Burning Legion. The Lich King then used his telepathy to reach out into Azeroth and summon any dark soul that would hear his call. Kel'Thuzad, a mage and a prominent member of Dalaran's Kirin Tor, answered his call. Kel'Thuzad was soon ensnared by the Lich King, faithfully serving him as the first of a Cult of the Damned; a cult that would worship the Lich King as a god and be taught necromancy to better aid their undead armies. (for the full story, please see Road to Damnation and Kel'Thuzad) Kel'Thuzad and the Dreadlord Mal'ganis were instructed to begin paving the way, but Ner'zhul, ever mindful of Kil'jaeden's schemes, secretly sought a way out of his prison... Scourge of Lordaeron After preparing for many long months, Kel'Thuzad and his Cult of the Damned finally struck the first blow by releasing the plague upon Lordaeron. Uther Lightbringer and his fellow paladins investigated the infected regions in the hope of finding a way to stop the plague. Despite their efforts, the plague continued to spread and many of Lordaeron's northern most settlements were consumed utterly. ]] As the ranks of the undead swept across Lordaeron, King Terenas' only son, Prince Arthas Menethil, took up the fight against the Scourge. As was the Lich King's intention all along, Arthas succeeded in killing Kel'Thuzad, but even so, the undead ranks swelled with every soldier that fell defending the land. Frustrated and stymied by the seemingly unstoppable enemy, Arthas took increasingly extreme steps to drive them out - he eventually ordered the slaughter of everyone in Stratholme, which had been infected by the plague, to prevent Mal'ganis from adding them to the army of the dead. Finally Arthas's comrades warned him that he was losing his hold on his humanity. Arthas' fear and resolve proved to be his ultimate undoing. He tracked the plague's source to Northrend, intending to end its threat forever. There he stumbled across his long-time friend, Muradin Bronzebeard, brother to the dwarven King Magni, and the dwarf led him to a legendary weapon they hoped would help them combat the Scourge. Instead, Prince Arthas himself fell prey to the Lich King's tremendous power. Believing that it would help him save his people, Arthas took up the cursed runeblade, Frostmourne. Though the sword did grant him great power, the cost was high: Muradin lay dead, and Arthas began to lose his soul, transformed into the first and greatest of the Lich King's Death Knights. Arthas finally exacted revenge upon Mal'ganis, removing one of the Lich King's more dangerous jailers and completing the unholy transformation. With his soul cast aside and his sanity shattered, Arthas led the Scourge against his own kingdom - Lordaeron. Arthas murdered his own father, King Terenas, and crushed Lordaeron under the Lich King's iron heel. Path of the Damned With Arthas as his champion, Ner'zhul spread the Plague throughout Lordaeron. What remained of the Order of the Silver Hand struck back, but even mighty Uther fell to the Death Knight's power. Arthas took the Scourge north, to the Elven lands of Quel'Thalas; the high elves never stood a chance, and their capital, Silvermoon, was ravaged - their millenia-aged Sunwell warped and used to resurrect Kel'Thuzad as a lich. Thus, both masters were appeased: the Lich King's most loyal worshiper was returned, and the Summoner was unleashed. Having progress too far into the Legion's plan (and guarded too closely by Tichondrius) to back out now, Ner'zhul's minions laid siege to Dalaran, reclaiming a spell book of Medivh... which contained the incantations needed for Kel'Thuzad to summon Archimonde. Finally, Archimonde was summoned in Dalaran, and he immediately gave control of the Scourge to Tichondrius and the Dreadlords. But the Lich King was not done yet. Archimonde may have removed Ner'zhul's control over the undead, but in his eagerness for vengeance against the Kaldorei, he forgot to return the Frozen Throne to Kil'jaeden. Thus, the Lich King remained at large. During the Legion's invasion of Ashenvale, Illidan Stormrage was released from his barrow prison after ten thousand years of captivity. Realizing Illidan's addiction to magic, and having utilized the Skull of Gul'dan himself years earlier, the Lich King dispatched Arthas to Kalimdor. There, Arthas covertly told Illidan about the powers of the Skull of Gul'dan. Unable to resist such power, Illidan took up the skull and harnessed it's vast energies. By doing so, Illidan developed demonic features and vastly magnified power. Illidan, exactly as the Lich King had planned, then proceeded to kill Tichondrius and liberate Felwood. Without Tichondrius's support team, Archimonde's overconfident ascent of Mount Hyjal led to the unexpected: his annihilation. Legacy of the Damned Bristling with power and free to roam the world once more, Illidan set out to find his own place in the great scheme of things. However, Kil'jaeden confronted Illidan and made him an offer he could not refuse. Kil'jaeden was angered by Archimonde's defeat at Mount Hyjal, but he had greater concerns than vengeance. Sensing that his creation, the Lich King, was out of his control, Kil'jaeden ordered Illidan to destroy Ner'zhul and put an end to the undead Scourge once and for all. In exchange, Illidan would receive untold power and a true place amongst the remaining lords of the Burning Legion. Illidan agreed and immediately set out to destroy the Frozen Throne, the icy crystal cask in which the Lich King's spirit resided. Illidan knew that he would need a mighty artifact to destroy the Frozen Throne. Using the knowledge he had gained from Gul'dan's memories, Illidan decided to seek out the Tomb of Sargeras and claim the Dark Titan's remains. Using his vast, demonic powers, he lured the serpentine naga from their dark undersea lairs. Led by the cunning witch Lady Vashj the naga helped Illidan reach the Broken Isles, where Sargeras' Tomb was rumored to be located. With the powerful Eye of Sargeras in his possession, Illidan traveled to the former wizard-city of Dalaran. Strengthened by the city's ley energy lines, Illidan used the Eye to cast a destructive spell against the Lich King's citadel of Icecrown in distant Northrend. Illidan's attack shattered the Lich King's defenses and ruptured the very roof of the world. The Lich King had no defense against this spell, and he would have been forever vanquished that day. But at the final moment, Illidan's destructive spell was stopped when his brother Malfurion intervened, sensing that the spell was causing great damage to the world. Civil War in the Plaguelands Now that Ner'zhul had openly defied the will of the Legion, he knew that the wrath of Kil'jaeden and his demonic lackeys would be fierce, but, at the worst possible time, Ner'zhul was losing his magical power. When he had pushed Frostmourne from the Throne, he had caused a crack within the icy cask, and his power had begun to seep out like blood from an open wound. Half-way across Azeroth, residing over the unholy remains of his father's kingdom, Arthas was losing power -- he got his power directly from the Frozen Throne through his blade Frostmourne, and his hold over the undead was slipping. Ner'zhul knew that his time was short. Imprisoned within the Frozen Throne, he suspected (correctly) that Kil'jaeden would send his agents to destroy him. Desperate to save himself, he called his greatest mortal servant to his side: the death knight Prince Arthas. Though his powers were drained by the Lich King's weakness, Arthas had been involved in a civil war in Lordaeron. Half of the standing undead forces, led by the banshee Sylvanas Windrunner, had been freed by the Lich King's sudden loss of influence and resented what they had become. Arthas, called by the Lich King, was forced to leave the Scourge in the hands of his lieutenant, Kel'Thuzad, as the war escalated throughout the Plaguelands. Ultimately, Sylvanas and her rebel undead (known as the Forsaken) claimed the ruined capital city of Lordaeron as their own. Constructing their own bastion beneath the wrecked city, the Forsaken vowed to defeat the Scourge and drive Kel'Thuzad and his minions from the land. The Lich King was powerless to stop them. Weakened, but determined to save his master, Arthas reached Northrend only to find Illidan's naga and blood elves waiting for him. He and his nerubian allies (in the form of Crypt Fiends, led by the fallen Spider Lord Anub'arak) raced against Illidan's forces to reach the Icecrown Glacier and defend the Frozen Throne. The Lich King Triumphant After a short, but intense battle, Illidan inadvertently left himself open and Arthas took advantage of it, slicing open the demon hunter's chest with Frostmourne. Illidan collapsed in the snow, grievously wounded, as Arthas turned towards the open doors of Icecrown. Arthas entered the hollow glacier and beheld a winding pinnacle chained to the ice. As he strode up the stairs towards his destiny, the voices of those he had forsaken flooded through his mind. He heard Muradin Bronzebeard, Uther, and Jaina calling out to him, yet he ignored them, continuing his ascent. Finally, he reached the pinnacle and before him he saw an icy cask, within which was a suit of armour, arranged as if seated on a massive throne. Now only one voice spoke to him, the rasping whisper of Ner’zhul: Return the blade... complete the circle... release me from this prison! With a great cry of strength, Arthas brought the might of Frostmourne to bear against the Lich King's icy prison and with a haunting scream, the Frozen Throne exploded, and shards of the crystal scattered on the ground. With Ner’zhul’s thorny helm at his feet, Arthas leaned forward, picked it up and then placed the unimaginably powerful artifact on his head. "Now," Ner'zhul's voice echoed within his mind, "we are one!" In that moment, Ner'zhul and Arthas' spirits fused into a single mighty being, just as the Lich King had always planned. And thus one of the most powerful entities on Azeroth was born. Current Activities The Lich King currently resides in Northrend; there he has built a massive fortress around the Frozen Throne, Icecrown Citadel, which houses thousands of undead warriors. His trusted lieutenant, Kel'Thuzad, commands the Scourge in the Plaguelands, while Anub'arak rules over the remnants of Azjol-Nerub. Sylvanas and her rebel Forsaken hold only the Tirisfal Glades, a small portion of the war-torn kingdom, and are constantly at odds with Kel'Thuzad for their independence. The Lich King possesses untold power and an endless hatred for the living. The dwarven explorer, Brann Bronzebeard, has speculated that it is only a matter of time before the Lich King seeks to destroy or dominate all sapient life on Azeroth - not just the Alliance and Horde, but also the dragons and perhaps even Elune herself. The Lich King in World of Warcraft The Lich King's voice can be heard inside Naxxramas after defeating Sapphiron, complimenting his most trusted lieutenant, Kel'Thuzad, on his loyalty, and then remarking - when Kel'Thuzad spots the raid party - that he should take care of the intruders. His voice sounds like Arthas and Ner'zhul speaking in unison. The Lich King is the final boss of the upcoming expansion, ''Wrath of the Lich King''. He will likely be found at his fortress of Icecrown Citadel. According to the FAQ: Players will be skirmishing with the minions of Arthas from the moment they set foot on Northrend. He will be a constant presence as players progress through the expansion content -- which will culminate in a showdown with the dread Lich King himself. As a combination of Ner'zhul (a former shaman turned necromancer) and Arthas (a paladin who became a death knight), the Lich King may have command of nearly any power in the game. Identity Crisis There had been heated debate in some areas of the Warcraft community as to what exactly happened when Arthas and Ner'zhul merged. Some are of the belief that Ner'zhul possessed Arthas, and that the former prince ceased to exist - others, using a literal interpretation of "Now, we are one!", believe that the two ceased to exist as individuals and simply became one entity. There are also fans who speculated about further plot twists involving the Lich King, such as Arthas fighting Ner'zhul within their mind, or that Arthas might still have some good left in him. When asked, "What's the truth about the new Lich King?", Chris Metzen replied: "Arthas and Ner'zhul have become a perfect fusion of one being - Arthas' personality and body with Ner'zhul's wisdom, experience, power and EVIL." Godhood Another debate that has arisen among fans is whether the Lich King can be classified as a god or not. His origins lie with Kil'jaeden, however, his power has continued to increase at an exponential rate beyond Kil'jaeden's intentions. Most of the other gods in the Warcraft cosmology have their origins with the Pantheon. However, most of them have contributed something to the world of Azeroth. Elune gave birth to the night elves (according to their own legends), while the dragon aspects guard specific elements of Azeroth depending on their origins in the dragon flights. The Lich King contributed the undead to this world and while it wasn't a positive effect like the what the other gods contributed, it still can elevate to the title of a god. Also many blizzard official texts such as the Warcraft 3 manual refer to him as the "godlike Lich King". The Warcraft Encyclopedia provided by Blizzard classifies a "god" in two ways: 1) Gods are immortal. : There are no hard and fast rules to define what it means to be a god in Warcraft, save that all gods are immortal.''http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/encyclopedia/417.xml 2) '''Gods are the object of worship.' : The demigods of Azeroth wield great power and have occasionally played pivotal roles in the planet's history. Nevertheless, unlike gods, most demigods have never been the objects of worship.''http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/encyclopedia/369.xml Although it is true that the Lich King does not age, it is arguable whether or not he is an object of worship. The members of the Cult of the Damned and the mortals who serve him as Acolytes (in ''Reign of Chaos and Frozen Throne) obviously worship him and provide a strong backing for this criterion. Nevertheless, the debate continues, and the community has yet to reach a solid consensus. The Warcraft Encyclopedia, as yet, lacks an article on the Lich King. Whatever categories the article is grouped in, when it is posted, will put an end to the debate. Quotes Inside Naxxramas (Download the speech by clicking the text) *It is good that you serve me so faithfully... Soon, all will serve the Lich King. And in the end, you shall be rewarded. So long as you do not falter. *Your security measures have failed! See to this interruption immediately! *Very well... Warriors, of the frozen wastes, rise up, I command you to fight, kill, and die, for your master. Let none survive... Wrath of the Lich King Trailer The Lich King narrates the gameplay trailer for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. At first, it appears to be the normal voice of Arthas. As it approaches the final sentence, it becomes the coinjoined Arthas/Ner'zhul voice. He seems to be narrating the journey of a male human paladin as he enters Northrend with a female human priest, and endures both the death of his companion and an attack by the Scourge...before descending into madness to become a death knight. It's begun. Young heroes... I was once like you. You have come to this place, seeking to bring judgement upon the damned. You will venture deep into forgotten lands. You will see wonders beyond imagining. But be warned. The land itself will rise up against you. Long forgotten terrors will smother your courage. Sacrifice everything as the final darkness falls... in the end, all that awaits you is death. Only then will you understand - you've been following in my footsteps all along. So come then, you heroes! Come in all your power and glory! For in the final hour, all must serve the one true king. References External links * World of Warcraft Community Site: History of Warcraft * World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King – Features ** Rise of the Lich King (Chapter 1) – The Curse of Ner'zhul ** Rise of the Lich King (Chapter 2) – The Claiming of Frostmourne * Wrathofthelichking.com (unofficial) * Blizzard Universe * Lunarfalls.com See also *Undead History, from the Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos manual *History of Warcraft, Chapters IV & V *Scourge *Arthas Menethil *Ner'zhul *Frostmourne Category:Lore Category:Game Characters Category:Lore Characters Category:Scourge Category:Undead Category:Historical Necromancers